


Running Straight and True

by FireAwayy



Series: Pendragon Racing [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horse Racing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arthur is sexy, Everyone is American, F/M, Gwaine has feelings, Hammer needs his own story, Horses, I'm Sorry, Leon still suffers, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Merlin has doubts, Mild Language, There should be more percy in the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 19:03:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3948169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireAwayy/pseuds/FireAwayy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin doubts his abilities to do Arthur and Pendragon racing justice. How could he manage to bring them the glory they deserve? Can he keep his relationship with Arthur separate from his ambitions to become a jockey? And will he be able to guide Kilgarrah, the Dragon of Racing, to the finish line and finally win his first big race? </p><p>And if Killy is the Dragon of Racing, what does that make Excalibur? Can Merlin tame the beast?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running Straight and True

**Author's Note:**

> Oh. My. God.   
> I am so sorry, it's been over a year since I updated. I wish I had some badass excuse like 'Oh yeah, I was in a coma because I fought off a shark and saved a baby' or some shit like that. But no. I actually moved and did a few other things, then today it hit me, update your story. So I did. I haven't given up on this 'verse and there will be more consistent updates, I assure you. I know this chapter didn't have any Arthur/Merlin interaction as much but I felt like I needed to set up the background and have a bit of angsty stuff. Plus, I want the relationship to be a long slow burn. 
> 
> As I've said before, I've tried to make this the most accurate I could in regards to horses on the track. Some things are not exactly correct, and some things I left out because they tend to be a bit boring. No one wants to read about people mucking stalls for hours (which is essentially what happens, super glamorous). 
> 
> Again, if you're still with me and this story…THANK YOU! I don't deserve it, and I promise to be better. 
> 
> *bows down* I'M NOT WORTHY! 
> 
> Also, this is Unbeta'd so excuse any mistakes please.

Merlin lay in bed doing more thinking than sleeping. The night was warm and his small desktop fan was working overtime to keep the room tolerable. He had kicked off all the covers and was sprawled on top of his small bed in his small room the gentle whirring of the fan the only noise besides the occasional faded neigh of a horse in the distance. Usually he found sleep to come easy, a special talent he had always had. But tonight his mind demanded that he think. 

In just two short days he would be riding Kilgarrah in a race. A real race that had a purse! If he won not only could he send some real money back home to his mother, but he would also start to earn a reputation for himself—no one besides those at Pendragon Racing knew that Arthur had gotten him the job because he had a crush on him, and they all knew that Merlin had the skills to back up the promotion. But still. Merlin worried that they would judge him, or Arthur. He loved working for Pendragon Racing, he loved the horses and the people he worked with and he wanted to do right by them. Prove that they were the greatest stable! Excalibur was on the way to running the Kentucky Derby and making a bid for the Triple Crown, the greatest three races in the world. If he could make a bid for them this year he could do it. Merlin knew he could win it, and so did everyone else. He was a superior horse, the first of his caliber bred in a long time. 

And it was time for him to race again. 

They wouldn’t risk hurting him again by starting too quickly, but by the end of the month he should be back doing his regular workouts, and in two months time back at his first race. 

And Merlin might be the one riding him. 

The very thought made his muscles twitch and contract in excitement. He longed to ride a horse like Ex. But if Killy felt like a freight train, what would Ex feel like? Could he control such a power? 

Merlin sighed and flipped over on his belly pulling the pillow up under his head better. Not only is he dealing with racing but Arthur too. Arthur made him happy, stupidly happy. But he was also his boss, which could be problematic. Arthur had to do what he had to do, business decisions and such. What if business dictates that he fire Merlin? How could Merlin not take that personally? And to take that personally wouldn’t be fair to Arthur. 

Merlin groaned and flipped over again looking up at his ceiling and taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and pictured the track: the dirt all dragged and clean, ruts sifting through the sand to make it completely even. The white railings gleaming after a fresh rain, the roar of the crowd as you turned for home, the smell of greasy food being cooked and the smell of freshly cut grass from the infield. The surge of adrenaline as he swung his leg over his horse, the feel of inflating lungs and grabbing a chunk of mane. The horses motion as he launched himself forward, almost a ton of raw energy and strength as he plunges into the fray. The constant struggle between holding back and letting go, knowing when to let the horse run its race and when to hold the horse back. 

While the thought of racing excited Merlin it also lulled him into a deeper state of relaxation, it was a familiar thought. As a boy he often thought about racing to relax himself when he was in a bad situation. His fingers ached to be curled around the thick rubber reins with his knuckles brushing against the mane. His entire body weight balanced on the balls of his feet, his body strong and sure and full of confidence. 

He took another deep breath and drifted off a small smile flittering across his pale lips. 

 

The barn was warm and quiet when Merlin stepped in. He was tired, his night of shifting around the bed keeping him from a restful nights sleep. But just stepping into the barn he could feel himself rejuvenated. The smell of hay and shavings wafted up to him, the gentle stomp of an impatient horse and the buzz of a fly seeking its next meal. He couldn’t help but grin as he caught up with Gwaine in the feed room.

“What up, Wizard man?” 

Merlin cocked a brow. “Wizard man?” 

Gwaine grinned sheepishly. “Nickname?” he waited a moment. “Ok…Falcon boy?” 

Merlin shook his head and grabbed the wheelbarrow full of hay, wheeling into the aisle Gwaine kept calling after him. 

“Magic man? The horse whisperer? Tiny yet Mighty? Wings of fury?” 

Merlin ignored him and started doling out hay. Each horse had a restricted diet, but Merlin couldn’t help but give a handful extra to Freya. Her soft elegant nose slipping out to take the bundle of hay from his fingertips, agile lips lipping around until she got the pieces into her mouth. 

“Spoiled girl.” Merlin crooned, giving her a kiss along the soft fur of her muzzle. 

Percy strolled into the barn, his long legs carrying him smoothly. He was a massively huge guy but he had an honest and endearing smile. You just immediately felt comfortable the second he walked into the room. 

“Hey man.” He said clasping Merlins shoulder with a big open palm. 

Merlin staggered a bit and steadied himself on the wheelbarrow. “Morning. You taking Hammer out?” 

Percy nodded and began helping Merlin stuff the horses hay nets full and hang them at the appropriate height. “Yeah, Ex is going out for a bit of a walk today. First time. I think Hammer missed him.” 

The two men laughed. Ex was notoriously difficult to handle on the ground, and he intimidated every other pony horse on the track. Except Hammer. Hammer took just enough, but when he’d had enough Ex listened. It was a complicated relationship. 

“Ex is such a little shit.” Percy said fondly. “I can’t believe how much Hammer takes.” 

Merlin smiled thinking of the big horse. As they came to his stall he lifted his head and nickered deeply when he saw Percy. He nuzzled against the big man and snuffled around his pockets. “Yeah yeah.” Percy said pulling out a silver wrapped strawberry frosted Poptart. He broken the Poptart into bits and fed them to the big grey horse. 

“You’re whipped.” Merlin teased. 

Percy laughed. “I guess so. But he’s been good to me so I’ll take it.” 

Merlin side eyed Percy. “So…how is Hammer going to feel about Gwaine?” 

Percy went beet red and stammered a bit, distracting himself by straightening Hammer’s forelock. Merlin laughed and slapped Percy on the back, getting some slight revenge for earlier. 

“Relax. I’m teasing you. As Gwaine’s best friend I officially give you my blessing.” Merlin shimmied his fingers and waved them at Percy as if he were saying some sort of magic spell. 

Percy laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. We both need this job. And neither of us have really done the long term relationship thing so…we’re trying to take it slow. Still talking it out.” He chuckled a bit then. “Speaking of.” He nodded toward the feed room. 

Gwaine was swaggering out in the way only Gwaine can swagger. “Hey you two gonna help me or sit around chewing the fat?” he teased and Percy drifted back down the barn toward him. Percy scooped his arm around Gwaines slim waist and began dragging him down the aisle. Gwaine grunted and made some squeaks of protest. 

“Don’t fight it Gwaine, we know you love it!” Merlin called out down the aisle. 

 

Leon turned the corner and walked in, surveyed the scene and shook his head. Leon was willing to put up with a little bit of shenanigans as long as the work was done to his standard of care. And as much as these guys were idiots, they were his idiots and he watched over them like a proud father. Well, tolerant father maybe. 

“Merlin,” he called out gesturing to the lanky boy. 

Merlin dropped the wheelbarrow and approached the manager. 

“So today the big focus is getting Ex back out there and that’s got a lot of us on edge. We’re going to do it a bit later in the day when there are fewer horses out on the track. So Freya is going for a work this morning, and I want you on her. Later on I want all the buckets scrubbed and the barn to look spotless, Uther is coming down and he always finds something to pick at so lets make it so he has to work a bit harder to find something to be grumpy about.” He said, pulling out a clipboard. The clip was straining to hold all the paper on the board but Leon seemed to have some sort of organization to it. 

“Gotcha.” Merlin said with a smile of excitement. 

“I’ll go wrangle the idiots.” Leon said sliding past Merlin and entering the tackroom. Gwaine and Percy were standing quite close, hands resting on each other’s elbows and making deep eye contact. It gave off more than platonic vibes and Leon couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Is everyone in my barn getting some?” 

Gwaine and Percy jumped apart and started speaking over each other trying to come up with some sort of excuse. Gwaine was going on about how Percy had something in his eye and he was trying to find it. 

“Look, shutup. I don’t care. As long as the horses are the priority here, and you don’t do anything nasty on my stuff…don’t care.” He waved his hand and quickly jumped into business. He explained what he wanted then marched off into his office; he had horses to enter into races and check stats and sale horses. 

 

Gwaine brought Freya forward and gave Merlin a boost.

“Don’t have too much fun.” He said, patting Merlin’s leg as they rode off. 

Freya was a quiet horse, she knew her job and she knew when it was time to go. She conserved her energy well, something Merlin really liked about her. They got onto the track without incident and had a great workout. Freya was in top condition and really felt like a winner. 

“That was great!” Lance called to Merlin as he rode the lithe mare over to the rail. 

Merlin nodded, sweaty and breathless. “Yeah, she’s on fire. Didn’t feel her falter at all.” 

Lance took the reins and Merlin hopped down and patted Freya’s sweaty neck. They started walking together back to the barn, Freya jogging a bit to Merlin’s right. She pinned her ears at any horse that walked by and Merlin laughed. “Freya is still in attack mode.” 

Lance grinned at the mare. “Uther is talking about breeding her to Ex.” 

Merlin looked up. “Could work, she might settle Ex’s temperament down.” 

The older man nodded and adjusted his sunglasses. “Freya has got some serious speed, but nothing to write into the history books. He’ll race her for another year then retire her to breeding. She has some nice lines and could pass them down.” 

Merlin nodded and wiped some sweat from his brow with his shoulder. As much as he loved Freya he knew Lance was right, and it was better to retire her to a breeding career rather than try and race her over and over to no avail. She would have a good life as a breeder, but Merlin would miss her. He had never been to the Pendragon’s big breeding farm down south, but he knew it was glamorous and a horse heaven. He would be happy for Freya even though he would miss her. 

“Killy will miss her.” Merlin said tugging at the mares mane now that she settled down a bit. 

“Yeah well, Killy is another story. He might make some serious money. He’s no Ex, but he’s got a bit in him yet. After he’s done he will have a good life as a jumper, he’s got enough attitude for it.” Lance had come from a show horse background and knew his stuff. If he said Killy had what it took, then there would be a line of show riders looking to buy him. 

They entered the barn and Gwaine came forward and took Freya from Merlin, leading her off for a good cool down. 

Hammer was standing patiently in the entrance of the barn. He was completely tacked in his special made gear, standing with one foot cocked and eyes half closed in sleep. Percy was sitting on top of him watching as two grooms pulled Ex from his stall. 

As soon as the door opened Ex leapt from his stall, snorting and kicking. The two grooms were holding on for dear life as the massive chestnut stepped forward. Even after months of doing nothing his body was still rippling with muscle and strength, he lifted his head and reared and Merlin had to catch his breath at the beauty. Excalibur was the epitome of athletic perfection…it was terrifying to behold. If Killy was a dragon then Ex was a monster. His eyes radiated fire and his legs were faster than the eye could see. His nostrils flared, taking in every scent in his domain. And there was no doubt in Merlin’s mind, this is his domain. 

Percy took a deep breath and collected Hammers reins in one hand and reached for Ex’s lead with his second. The horse caught sight of Hammer and pinned his ears, launching for the grey horse. Hammer side stepped the attack and turned his head, arching what would be his nostril and staring Ex down. Ex stopped in his tracks and snorted, shaking his head. Hammer stomped his foot and stared the large chestnut down. Ex settled and sidled up next to the big grey. Percy laughed and shook his head. 

“Damn son.” 

They walked out of the barn together, scattering people wherever they went. Ex may have been convalescing for a few months but his reputation was cemented in everyone’s mind. 

Merlin stood staring after the horse. He was supposed to control that?! How could he ride the unrideable. He groaned and tossed his helmet into his locker. 

He heard a knock behind him and turned to see his uncle, Gaius. 

“Morning Merlin, how are you?” he asked, embracing his slim relative with a warm hug. Gaius had been Pendragon Racing’s personal vet since Uther started his barn fifteen years ago, and the first person to bring Merlin to a race track. Merlin had no father in his life and his Uncle stepped in and played the role, he was a loving and intelligent man and knew everything there was to know about horses. 

“Not great. I just got to see Ex, he’s a beast!” 

Gaius chuckled. “He is. It’s a damned shame too, if he channeled half the energy he uses to be a nut into racing then he’d set fire to the track.” Gaius gave Merlin the famous eyebrow. “You going to be the jockey to rein him in? Set him on the right path?” 

Merlin snorted. “Gaius I don’t think I could even get on that horse!” 

Gaius shook his head and took Merlin by the shoulder. “If that idiot Cenred could ride him then you can. He doesn’t have a tenth of your talent. Come now.” He shook Merlin a little. “The secret to great horses is that they aren’t easy--you can’t bully them, you have to ask them. You have to gain their trust and loyalty. If you get that horse to trust you and there is no end of the things you can accomplish. That horse would gallop into hell for you, but you have to earn it. Earn his respect, Merlin. Cenred thought he could bully and whip him into it and they spent the entire track fighting each other. No no…” Gaius got a far away look in his eye. 

He turned and looked Merlin straight in the eyes. 

“Ride that horse, Merlin, straight and true. Nothing could stop you.”

He patted Merlins arm and walked off to speak with Leon. 

Merlin stood in the middle of the tack room, his mouth open. 

“So, in other words…don’t fuck it up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, another chapter down! As usual, please feel free to ask me any questions or give me your comments or criticisms. I always appreciate feedback, truly. And I really enjoy talking about my characters so…indulge me! 
> 
> If you're curious, the song I had playing when I introduced Excalibur was 'The Distance' by Cake. Cool song, it's about car racing but if you pretend it works for horses too. 
> 
> There will be more relationship stuff with Arthur and Merlin coming up, promise. 
> 
> Also keep an eye on my account, because another 'verse will pop up and I may do a crossover with this one.


End file.
